Mekhi Phifer

Phifer was born on Dec. 29, 1974 in Harlem, NY, along with a twin brother. Phifer's school teacher mother was instrumental in helping her sons avoid getting caught up in the "street nonsense" of Harlem.For his first audition, Phifer walked 40 blocks to get a snapshot at a Woolworth's photo booth for the open-call audition for the adaptation of Richard Price's "Clockers," directed by controversial helmer, Spike Lee. Shockingly, the newbie beat out over 1,000 other young men for the lead role. The Harlem native received mostly raves for his searing debut performance and its success led to a supporting role in the Emmy-winning made-for-cable TV movie, "The Tuskegee Airmen" (HBO, 1995), starring...